Mapping the research landscape of UAV- and eVTOL-enabled emergency medical services: a bibliometric analysis, scoping review, and policy tool assessment.
Frontiers in Health Services · 2026-01-01 · Scoping review
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly recognized as transformative technologies for emergency medical services (EMS). Despite a growing body of evidence on drone-delivered automated external defibrillators (AEDs), blood product logistics, and eVTOL air ambulance simulations, no study has comprehensively mapped this interdisciplinary research landscape while simultaneously analyzing the policy frameworks that govern its implementation. METHODS: We conducted a triple-method study integrating bibliometric analysis, a scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, and quantitative policy text analysis. Bibliometric mapping covered 2015 to 2026. The scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology with the PAGER (Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence, Recommendations) synthesis framework, including 168 studies. Policy analysis applied the Rothwell and Zegveld policy tool classification and the Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC) Index to 62 Chinese policy documents related to low-altitude economy and emergency medical rescue (2020-2025), yielding 526 codable policy provisions. RESULTS: The bibliometric analysis identified 683 publications across five thematic clusters, with exponential growth from 2022 onward. The scoping review of 168 studies synthesized evidence showing drone-delivered AEDs arrived before ambulances in 67% of cases (median lead time 3 min 14 s), blood product drone delivery reduced transport time by 61%, and eVTOL air ambulance simulations halved advanced life support response times. All 964 modeled drone networks were cost-effective under model assumptions, improving OHCA survival by 21%-46%. Policy analysis of 62 Chinese documents revealed structural imbalance: supply-side and environmental tools constituted 75.3% of provisions while demand-side tools accounted for only 24.7%. The mean PMC Index was 7.46 (SD = 0.89), with timeliness (0.73) and policy measures (0.72) as the weakest dimensions. CONCLUSION: The evidence base for UAV/eVTOL-enabled emergency medical services is approaching the consistency needed to inform health systems planning, although no formal risk-of-bias appraisal was undertaken, and a critical disconnect persists between technological readiness and policy infrastructure. We propose a "dual-wheel drive, four-chain integration" framework encompassing scenario implementation and ecosystem cultivation across infrastructure, industrial innovation, institutional policy, and human capital dimensions. This framework offers a roadmap for translating fragmented pilot programs into sustainable, equity-enhancing emergency medical service systems.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Automated external defibrillator · Helicopter & air ambulance · Blood products · Cost & cost-effectiveness · Drones · Fluids & blood
Related articles
- Unmanned aerial vehicles in prehospital emergency care: current evidence, technological advances, and future perspectives. (Front Public Health, 2025)
- Current summary of the evidence in drone-based emergency medical services care. (Resusc Plus, 2023)
- Public-private partnerships for UAV-assisted emergency medical services in aging communities: an evolutionary game approach. (Front Public Health, 2026)
- The direct labor cost for providing life-saving blood to air medical transport for pre-hospital transfusion. (Transfus Apher Sci, 2019)
- Drone versus ambulance for blood products transportation: an economic evaluation study. (BMC Health Serv Res, 2021)
- Implementing a whole blood pilot program in a rural trauma system: A feasibility, utilization, and cost analysis. (J Trauma Acute Care Surg, 2026)